Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Hey guys, I plan on rebuilding the 5.0 from my cougar within the next few months.  I was curious as to what I should expect for having the crank polished, rotating assembly balanced, cam bearings installed, and having the block bored and decked if it's needed (I haven't yet disassembled the engine to check out the bores.

Thanks,
Don

Around $500 to $700, expect alittle more for a quality shop. Remember you get what you pay for.

I spent $350 just to have mine bored .030 over, cam bearings installed, pistons pressed to the rods and the block cleaned. I spent most of my time "mic" ing everything myself, that is how I saved some money and spent it on other fun parts for the engine. But I suspect this isn't your first rodeo.

If you don't have the measuring equipment, I'd spend the money and have your bottom end built. The better, the longer  it will last. Mine has been running for four years and no problems...knock on wood....yet, good luck.

Jason

i paid $900-something to have them bore it .030 over, clearance the block for the stroker crank, check for cracks, check deck trueness and main trueness, hot tank it, new freeze plugs, rear main seal, and build the bottom end. (besides freeze plugs and main seal, i brough all my own parts.)

the shop i work for sends all our machine work to this guy, so he gave me a little bit off, but not much. definatly shop around though, some shops wanted alot more money, even shops that i was told had poor quality charged more. you dont always get what you pay for. ask people in your area who have had machine work done and who they'd recomend as far as quality goes. ats always better to pay a little more then you wish to have a solid bottom end then saving a buck and blowing everything up.


good luck
Keith

X2 - Talk to people who have had work done at a shop before comitting. Ask about their quality, ask about their delivery to promised dates, and how they prioritize work.

I have an excellent local guy, but he is always twice as long as promissed. Its worth waiting for him, but his dates are a joke. Also if you hit him from February through April, you arent getting your stuff back. He is booked with raceengine prep for the season, is late on everybody's stuff, and prioritizing the bigger $$ jobs over simple work. Hit him in the middle of summer or late fall, and you are in and out. I know this guys work ,and wont let anyone else touch my stuff, but you got to work with him, and pay what he wants.

Bob Myers

I would say $500-1000 depending on parts and the work they do.

I paid $500 for all the machining, cam bearrings installed and freez plugs

I was quoted $1065 yesterday on the same work for a 408 stroker so I would say you got a good price.

Where did you buy your stroker kit from?

http://www.jegs.com/i/Eagle/356/B16022LA/10002/-1/749647%7C10759


its a pretty complete kit. all i think its missing is the cam bearings, freeze plugs and rear main. but i'd double check.

http://www.citymotorsupply.com/machineshop.htm

Thats in SA.  Labor tends to run cheap down here.

Definitely not my first time at the rodeo...lol.  I just usually use new parts.  But the situation dictates that I do it on the cheap...I'm not trying to build an all out race motor.  I figure I should be good with the stock crank, Scat rods, and hyperutectic pistons and ARP hardware through-out....I do have the necessary measuring equipment...as severence pay for staying with a good company until the day they closed...lol.  I guess if I could get all the machine work done for under $450 I'd be happy.

I'm still debating on whether or not to just buy a reman crank kit (includes bearings-whoopee!) for around $225 or have the stocker reground if possible and the rotating assembly balanced...I still have to tear this thing down.  My mind is a million different places right now, but thanks to all for the input and ball-park prices.

-Don

Hey Don, figured I would throw in my 2 cents worth. I just finished w/ my short block and here is what I paid...

$200 for Tq plate bore n hone for 30over pistons
$45 Polished crank ($100 to turn crank if needed)
$100 to line hone
$50 to cut top of main caps for main support (PanHandle's)
$150 balance assembly
$60 boil blk (before/after) cam bearings installed

It was $100 to deck the block and $150 to square deck the block. Fortunately I didn't need it this time around. I had Eagle "I" beam floating rods (spiral locks) and SRP pistons. He re-mic'd everything for me to dbl check my work and didn't charge me for that.

I called around and got prices in my area and even went to a few shops. In the end I went to a shop that took the time to talk to me, answered my questions and had middle of the road prices. There were some shops that just had absolutely crazy prices and tried to feed me lines of  about the SBF.

Initially, I was going to use NAPA. Reason #1, cause the front guy was nice enough to take some time to talk w/ me. Reason #2 NAPA usually has an old guy thats been around the block a time or two, knows his stuff, and doesn't get spooked easily, but as it turns out the guy I talked to wasn't the machinist.

When I got to the machinist he was going to charge me $120 just to cut my main caps. Then he told me they charged $200 to bore/hone the block. $250 w/ a Tq plate. What?!! The he wanted me to bring my stuff and leave it with him. He said fer shure that he wouldn't be able to touch it for two weeks. It might take him three weeks. That was just to start. I asked, what do you get for turning a fly wheel? Answer was $40. Heh heh, ok, thanks for your time. mine has been COMPLETELY wasted.

So, if you can get away with it (don't know the shape of you engine or what you do with it) I would try to have the crank polished or turned vs a remain crank. Balance for one and price for another. Good luck, sorry its so long...:sleep:

Thanks for the breakdown...I still have to borrow a balancer puller so I can get that out of the way and tear the bottom end apart...I pulled the oil pan yesterday...not pretty, metalized sludge everywhere...about 1/2" thick in the front sump...I have yet to pull anything in there apart...just put the pan back on and went inside...lol.

thanks again,
Don

Cost for the bottom end of my 306 was ~$1,000 with hyper pistons. The machiene shop got all the parts for me to rebuild the short block I brought in.